We've been reading the further adventures of Sally Lockhart to each other and liked this gem from Philip Pullman:

"Already the words were becoming transparent: he could see through them into the text, like a lot of little windows into a house. And day by day more light got in, so the the big words were beginning to look familiar too, and he felt more able to guess what they might be, and got more of his guesses right. It wouldn't be long now before he'd be able to go straight to The Communist Manifesto."

Playstation Home launched today. It looks as though it's going to allow people to wander around a virtual space that is rather like a shopping mall. I suppose this is giving people something they can relate to but really, when you could create any environment you wished, why create a lower resolution version of one of the most soul deadening experiences known to humankind? I would hope that the future of socialising online can be more inspiring than spending money on non-existent items. Yawn and yuck in equal measure.

Update: article over on Joystiq saying that the PS3 is a "sinking ship" and so is the PSP. Ouch. Somehow I think that Sony's hope that Playstation Home will be a "system seller" is somewhat misplaced, to put it mildly.

1 original comment:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/12/12/
Comment by handolio — 15 December, 2008 @ 12:36 am

It's got cold out all of a sudden. At least I can keep warm by burning all the articles that appear telling us how we can reduce our fuel bills. The proffered advice is only of any use if you own your own home and have spare cash lying around, two unlikely scenarios in this equally chilly economic climate.

If you rent an older property then you're going to face higher energy bills, contribute to climate change and use more precious natural resources completely unnecessarily. This triple whammy of unhelpfulness is due in the main to poor housing stock. Every house I've rented has suffered from the same problems: large sash windows, no double-glazing, wind coming through cracks that draft excluder simply isn't going to fill, solid walls, uninsulated roof spaces and old boilers. Tenants pay the bills and landlords own the property. Neither is going to invest money in sorting the energy efficiency of an old house, it doesn't make sense for either party.

Given that heating accounts for 57% of energy used in a house and the government is mad keen to set targets for carbon emissions you'd think they'd be all over this, especially as 30% of property is rented in this country.

1 original comment:

Tax relief for landlords prepared to invest money in increasing fuel efficiency in their properties? I think that would be a good avenue to explore and is similar to the current government’s policy re: road tax and fuel efficient cars.
Comment by Joe — 6 December, 2008 @ 11:19 pm